Effect tapper: interactive use of effects for musicians

In this paper we describe a prototype development for an interactive effect for musicians. This project was made with members of the horn section in the band Damn! They are also performing together with the Swedish hip-hop act Timbuktu. The instrument we focused on was the trombone. The trombone is played without a strap and is held and played with both hands. You use it by blowing into its mouthpiece and regulating its slide brace with one of your hands. The trombone itself is a rather long instrument and since it is not attached to your body by straps, this attribute can be an advantage when designing an interactive effect. It makes the instrument interesting for using sensors to read its position and movement (Y-axis, X-axis, and Z-axis). One sensor that we in this paper argue for is the accelerometer which proved to fit perfect for this task. The result ended up as a prototype for what we call Effect Tapper – software that with the help of an accelerometer and a tap tempo pedal let you use an interactive and controllable delay effect. In the tests with trombonist Jens Lindgård of the band Damn! we show that the prototype improved interaction, his possibility to control the effect and become more creative when playing.